Nodejs logging library

A logging library helps record events within an application and identify errors. It helps track the flow of an application. Logging libraries can log the event and store or send data. It can help analyze results and notify users of errors or progress. This helps debug applications and measure performance. It gives organizations a deeper understanding of their application.   

Types of node.js logging libraries:  

• Winston is a popular, versatile logging library for Node.js. It is a simple and customizable logging library for many projects and applications. Express-winston middleware is a popular npm library. It extends an inbuilt logging library in NodeJS.  
• Bunyan is a popular Nodejs logging library. It advocates for structured logs, making them easier to parse and query. With Bunyan, you can install, create, and configure logs to best suit your needs.  
• Pino is a modern logging library for Node.js applications. It provides an efficient logging system with a powerful set of features. The features like colorized logging, logging to JSON objects, and log redirection capabilities. Pino also provides a Pino-pretty CLI tool that helps to format the logs in a readable manner.  
• Log4js is a popular Node.js logging library for JavaScript applications. It supports various log levels, asynchronous logging, and stack trace printing. It also supports custom error levels, runtimes, web frameworks, and more. It supports script-loading systems for easy installation via the NPM command.  
• Logflare is a Nodejs library for configurable logging and centralized monitoring of logs. It harnesses the power of Nodejs for its logging and monitoring capabilities. It will provide an optimal logging and monitoring experience for your application. It supports cloud-based monitoring services such as AWS Cloudwatch. The library offers a CLI tool, making it easier to debug problems.  
• The NPM log Library is one of the most popular Nodejs libraries. It helps in logging and Typescript. It provides its own Typescript skill in using this library. This allows developers to configure the library without relying on code configurations.  

Most of these libraries have good app support and frequent updates. Furthermore, some libraries offer to log in to external services. We can install Nodejs-logging-library via the npm command in the application. 

These libraries allow you to import logs from several sources into the framework. Developers can also create custom filters for working with log data. Another option is to use a Log management tool, like Sematext Logsene. It provides log redirection capabilities to filter out specific log events. A Node.js logging library supports the concept of child loggers. This means that one can create structured loggers instead of creating a logging instance. 

CommonJS is a JavaScript specification to share code between files and packages. It is the driving force behind developing modules and packages for applications. With CommonJS, developers can organize code into modules, which we can import and use. 

Logging functions are important for debugging and tracking issues in Node.js applications. For a Node.js application, various logging libraries are available. It makes it important to choose the right library for the task.  

Types of logging libraries:  

• Text-based logging libraries:  

Text-based logging libraries are simple and easy to use. They use plain text for logging messages and have limited formatting capabilities. Examples include syslog, log4j, and PHP-Logger.  

• Object-oriented logging libraries:  

Object-oriented logging libraries offer advanced features. It supports structured logging in various languages. Examples include Log4j, Logback, and Apache Log4j.  

• Cloud-based logging libraries:  

Cloud-based logging libraries support collecting, routing, and storing log records. Examples include Amazon CloudWatch, Loggly, and Splunk.  

• Machine-learning-enabled libraries:  

It looks for anomalies or suspicious activities. These libraries can interpret and analyze log records in real time. Examples include Amazon Kinesis Analytics, Google Cloud Platform Logging, and IBM's Watson Explorer. 

Features available in different logging libraries: 

• Logging levels  

Most logging libraries have predefined logging levels that can differentiate between log messages. Common logging levels include DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR, and FATAL.  

• Logging format  

Different logging libraries support different formats for logging messages. This can include plain text, structured formats such as JSON, or proprietary formats.  

• Logging destinations  

Logging libraries can support different log destinations. Destinations include local files, remote services, database tables, cloud storage, and more.  

• Automated log rotation  

Many logging libraries support automated log rotation. It can reset the file path, truncate long log files, delete older ones, and more.  

• System-specific logging  

This feature allows logging either to a certain OS or uses system-specific APIs. It helps collect log messages.  

• Logging server  

These logging libraries can run a separate log server. It ingests and processes the log records.  

Key Tips for Choosing the right logging libraries:  

• Determine your project's specific logging requirements and research the available logging libraries.  
• Check the logging libraries feature list. Make sure that the logging library provides the features that you need.  
• Establish a good understanding of the logging library's API. Examine the level of active development of the library.  
• Consider the logging library's compatibility with other components of your project. And consider the types of logging data the library can produce.  
• Check the logging library's flexibility and ensure that the library is secure.  

Different ways that we can use the logging libraries:  

• Application Logging:  

Application logging enables developers to capture events. It captures errors occurring in applications to debug them. We write application logs to a specific log file. We can access it through the application or system administrator.  

• System Logging:  

System logging captures more comprehensive information about the system. You can get information like service availability and user authentication requests. It can also be network traffic, kernel activity, and system performance. System logging helps monitor system health, track resource usage, and troubleshoot system issues.  

• Security Logging:  

Security logging will monitor system activity for any suspicious activity. The activity is like failed login attempts or malicious network intrusions. Organizations use log analytics software to manage the logs generated by network devices. It has to track system activities for audit and regulatory compliance.  

• Audit Logging:  

Audit logging helps track user actions. The actions like file access or system settings change and compliance. Audit logs can ensure compliance with governmental regulations and industry standards. We will include it as part of an incident response plan.  

• Debug Logging:  

Debug logging monitors a system's and application's inner workings. It helps find and fix code errors. We can enable this type of logging in the development and testing environment.  

Advice on how to use logging libraries to troubleshoot and debug your applications:  

• Start by understanding the basics and familiarize yourself with logging in your environment.  
• Consider the different logs available in your library. It helps decide what logging you need for your specific application and environment.  
• Implement logging in your applications and monitor log files. It has the log files sent to a central log management system.  
• Set up alerts and log analytics tools so you can query log data.  

Key Tips for using logging libraries:  

• Use Advanced Logging Formats and take Advantage of Machine Learning  
• Implement Automated Alerts and use a Centralized Logging Platform  
• Use Logging Aggregation  
• Leverage Real-Time Analytics  
• Use Search Tools and leverage Logging Dashboards 

Error tracking involves tracking and logging errors for debugging and troubleshooting purposes. It helps find, diagnose, and get insights about an application's performance or behavior.  

An API endpoint is a controller route responsible for serving and creating resources. Node.js logging libraries have a single API endpoint. It allows users to configure the logging library for their application. Many logging libraries provide unique API endpoints. It will allow developers to create custom transports tailored to their needs. 

Webpack and Browserify are popular module bundlers. They are popular and help us to bundle stylesheets, images, and other resources. They also provide code minification, asset optimization, and hash generation capabilities. Webpack and Browserify offer great features to help the application's logging needs.  

Logging libraries are an invaluable tool for any software development project. The benefits of using a logging library include: 

• context-specific filtering and searching of data, 
• improved readability of log files, and 
• better performance. 

This logging library technology is a powerful and versatile tool for developers. It offers an easy-to-use interface for logging across various applications and major OS. It features various customization options. Furthermore, it enables efficient data storage, tracking, and analysis over long periods. Additionally, logging libraries are a great way to keep track of user activity and errors. It will allow developers to identify and respond to user interaction patterns. This technology is an invaluable resource to streamline their logging needs.  

Let's look at each library in detail. The links below provide access to package commands, installation notes, and code snippets. 

winston  

• Enables writing log messages to files, databases, memory streams, and email servers.  
• Offers features and plugins to add capabilities. You can get capabilities like exception handling, express middleware, and custom filters.  
• It provides semantic levels. It allows the user to define message precedence and assign data types to each log message.  

pino  

• It uses msgpack for encoding, which is much more efficient than JSON. So, we can store log entries in a smaller, more compact format.  
• It is a focused logging library that supports a few key features.  
• It has a very fast terminal output (with color), and we can pipe it to various destinations.  

debug  

• Can limit log output to specific namespaces while other libraries print everything.  
• It provides better formatting of log output, while other libraries often lack options.  
• It doesn't need to set up a logging destination.  

prompts  

• It has a pluggable logger. It enables users to customize their logging stack to match their specific needs.  
• Provides a built-in template system for formatting log messages.  
• It supports automatic message filtering. It filters based on criteria like log level, message type, or custom tags.  

morgan  

• It is a non-blocking logging library. It is because it does not block other processes while logging messages.  
• Allows developers to choose from different logging formats. The formats like Apache Common Log Format and others.  
• It supports log rotation, which helps to control the disk space consumed by the log files.  

node-bunyan  

• You can log into a browser, displaying log messages in the browser window in its native format.  
• Can create child loggers that inherit configurations from the parent logger.  
• It allows you to log in to many streams at the same time.  

log4js-node  

• It has optional support for log filtering, where developers can set up logging rules.\  
• It allows for asynchronous logging. It allows applications to maintain their performance as the logging activity increases.  
• It offers support for log levels.  

tracer  

• Logs stack traces, performance metrics, and other runtime information for Node.js applications  
• Features like built-in distributed tracing allow deep insights into distributed transactions.  
• It has a web-based UI to investigate and analyze logs in real-time.  

FAQ 

What is a logging library, and why should I use it for my Nodejs application?  

A logging library is a collection of components, tools, and APIs. It allows you to add logging capabilities to your Nodejs application. It allows you to output detailed log messages, capture errors, and track user actions. Logging libraries can help you identify issues and identify potential performance bottlenecks. It even helps in debugging issues that arise. With the help of a logging library, you can reduce development and debugging time.  

Is there a simple and fast JSON logging library available for Nodejs?  

Yes, many simple and fast JSON logging libraries are available for Nodejs. Popular options include Winston, Bunyan, and Loggly.  

How do I filter logs generated by my Nodejs application?  

One way to filter logs generated by a Node.js application is to use a library. The library is like winston or node-bunyan. It provides filtering capabilities and the ability to create custom filters. Additionally, several third-party logging services. The logging services like Splunk, LogDNA, and Papertrail. It makes filtering, adding, and visualizing logs from a Node.js application easy.  

What are the logging levels supported by the popular logging libraries in Nodejs?  

Popular logging libraries like Winston and Bunyan support the following logging levels. You can get support for levels like Trace, Debug, Info, Warn, Error, Fatal, and Silent.  

Are there any console logging methods available in Nodejs to debug applications?  

Yes, several console logging methods are available in Node.js to debug applications. These include console.log(), console.info(), and console.warn(). It also includes console.error(), and console.time()/console.timeEnd().  

Can we implement centralized logging with Nodejs?  

Yes, we can implement centralized logging with Node.js. We can use logging frameworks like ELK Stack with Node.js to set up a centralized logging system. Various modules like Winston, Bunyan, and Log4js are available. Each module allows users to create log files and messages and trace errors. It also helps rotate logs and format output to store the logs. It helps to log, and we can integrate Node.js projects for centralized logging.  

What log management tools are available for handling logs generated?  

The log management tools available for handling logs generated include:  

• Papertrail: It is a cloud-hosted log management solution. It can help you add, view, and analyze your logs.  
• ELK Stack: The ELK stack is a powerful log management solution. It enables real-time log analysis and visualization.  
• Loggly: Loggly is a cloud-based log monitoring and analytics platform. It allows you to add and search your logs in real-time.  
• Logsene: Logsene is an online log analysis service. It helps you monitor, analyze, and search logs.  
• Splunk: Splunk is an award-winning log management platform. It enables you to collect, monitor, and analyze large volumes of logs in real-time.  
• LogDNA: LogDNA is a cloud-based log analysis platform. It enables you to search and visualize your node application logs.  
• Fluentd: Fluentd is an open-source log management platform. It lets you collect, route, and store log data from many sources.  

How can we use Winston with Express to manage logs in real-time?  

We can use Winston with Express to manage real-time logs. We can set up a Winston logger instance with the Express server as the transport option. This will ensure that we log all requests with the necessary details. The details like the time we make, the request type, and the route or path requested. Also, it can be the user's IP address and the request's response time. We can also configure Winston to print logs. It helps the console in the development environment and stores log-to files. It helps in remote log aggregation services like Loggly and Logentries in production.  

How does CommonJS help handle log data from many sources using one logger instance?  

CommonJS helps handle log data from many sources by providing a single module. We can export and reuse it across many files. This allows using the same logger instance in different files without creating many instances. So, it provides a single place for logging all log data from many sources. It helps simplify the process and reduce the code we need to write.  

What are the best practices while working with logger instances? How can they take action to improve log performance in node applications?  

• Avoid Logging Sensitive Data  
• Print Logging Messages to Many Destinations.  
• Use the Appropriate Level of Logging  
• Use Data Format  
• Use Logging Hosts  
• Automate Logging Process  
• Perform Regular Log Pruning